Mechanical dishwasher



July 10, 1934. w R, WALKER 1,965,870

MECHANICAL DI SHWASHER Filed May 18, 1931 NVENTOR Patented July 10, 1934 PUNITED STATES MECHANICAL DISHWASHER Willard E. Walker, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Delco Appliance Corporation, Rochester, N. Y.

Application May 18, 1931, Serial No. 538,238

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanical dishwasher and rinser'involving the use of a vat containing a dish-supporting tray and provided with a cover having a discharge nozzle adapted to be connected through the medium of a hose to a water faucet or other available source of supply for the washing fluid.

The main object is to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive machine by which dishes and other utensils may be expeditiously and thoroughly washed and rinsed with no other labor than the mere opening and closing of a water faucet, and the usual work of assembling the soiled dishes within and removing the cleansed dishes from the vat.

Another object is to provide a nozzle of special construction adapted to direct the'washing fluid to the dishes and other utensils in the tray in the form of fan-shaped jets and capable of automatic rotation by the liquid passing therethrough so as to distribute the washing fluid over the entire area of and against the dishes in the tray.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the apparatus will be brought outin the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a dishwashing and rinsing apparatus embodying the various features of my invention, together with a water spray faucet to which the discharge nozzle is connected.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the discharge nozzle taken in the plane of line 22, Figure 1.

" Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 2 taken at right angles thereto.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the nozzle taken in the plane of line 4-4,

Fi ure 1.

In order that the invention may be clearly-understood, I have shown a vat or receptacle 1 which for all practical purposes might be a portion of a kitchen sink provided with a frusto-conical cover 2 loosely seated upon an annular'fiange 3 on the upper end of the receptacle 1 so that it may be readily removed and replaced.

The receptacle 1 is adapted to receive and support upon the bottom thereof an open-work tray 4 of wire or equivalent material for receiving dishes and other utensils, said tray being removable through the open upper end of the receptacle when the cover 2 is removed.

The bottom of the receptacle is inclined from its marginal edges toward the center, which'latter is provided with a drainage outlet 5 having a screen plate 6 in the upper end thereof to check the passage of solids while permitting the passage of the soiled water therethrough.

This screen. however, with its solids thereon, may be removed from time to time to discharge the solids therefrom into some other receptacle to prevent clogging of the waste pipe.

The apex of the cover 2 is provided with a central opening in which is secured the reduced upper end of a tubular nipple 7 having its upper 1 end threaded and engaged by a nut 8 by which the nipple 7 is firmly secured to the cover to form a water-tight joint therewith.

An elbow coupling 9 is also secured to the upper threaded end of the nipple '7 and is adapted to be connected by a flexible hose 10 to a water faucet 11 or equivalent source of supply for washing fluid, the faucet being provided with the usual handle 11' by which it may be opened and closed.

The lower end of the nipple '7 within the cover section 2 is provided with a diametrically extending cross bar 12 having a central threaded opening 13 for receiving the upper reduced threaded end of a downwardly projecting spindle 14 upon which is journaled a rotary nozzle 15.

The main portion of the nozzle 15 is made in the form of hollow sphere except that its upper end is provided with a radial tubular boss 16 arranged in relatively close relation to and concentric with the axis of the lower end of the tubular nipple 7 and in open communication with said nipple to allow the washing fluid to flow from the nipple into and through the nozzle 15, in a manner presently described.

The portion of the nozzle near the junction of the spherical portion with the tubular boss 16 is provided with an internal diametrically extending cross bar 17 having a co-axial vertical opening 18 therethrough for receiving the spindle 14.

This spindle is inserted from the underside upwardly through an axial vertical opening 19 in the bottom of the nozzle 15 and also through the opening 18 for securement at its upper end in the threaded opening 13 of the bar 12, the lower end of the spindle being provided with a head 20 for engagement with the underside of the nozzle to hold the latter against downward displacement when assembled for use.

The spherical portion of the nozzle 15 is provided with a pair of diametrically ;opposite vanes 21 and 21' extending lengthwise thereof in intersecting planes around the spindle 14 and preferably integrally united thereto for dividno ing the interior of the nozzle into separate water channels or passages and also to receive the impact of the water passing through said channels for effecting the automatic rotation of the nozzle.

That is, the vanes or substantially spiral partitions 21 and 21' are integrally united at their outer edges to the spherical portion of the nozzle to extend inwardly therefrom into close proximity to the periphery of the spindle 14, leaving just sufficient clearance to allow free rotation of the nozzle without friction with the spindle other than at the bearings 18 and 19.

The vanes 21 and 21' are inclined in opposite directions at an angle of less than forty-five (45) degrees to the axis of the spindle 14 and extend diametrically across the interior of the nozzle in planes intersecting each other along a line passing through the center of the nozzle at right angles to said axis.

In other words each of the vanes extends from the upper side of the nozzle at one side of the spindle l4 downwardly and across the axis of said spindle to terminate at its lower end at the lower side of the nozzle and at the opposite side of the spindle so that their planes intersect at an angle of less than ninety (90) degrees.

The nozzle 15 is also provided with diametrically opposite slots 22 and 22 through the peripheral walls thereof and arranged in intersecting planes at an angle of less than forty-five (45) degrees to a vertical or to the axis of the spindle is so as to follow closely the inclination of the corresponding vanes 21 and 21.

That is, the slot 22 is arranged closely adjacent the underside of the vane or partition 21, while the slot 22' is arranged closely adjacent the underside of the vane or partition 21, both slots being extended from points in the bottom of the nozzle at opposite sides of and equal distances from the axis of the spindle 14 upwardly to a plane some distance above the center of the nozzle or just below the level of the horizontal bar 17.

The object of inclining the vanes 21 and 21 in opposite directions in the manner described is to enable the downwardly flowing water impinging thereagainst to rotate the nozzle 15 about the axis of its supporting spindle 14.

The purpose of the vertically elongated slots and their relative diagonal disposition in intersecting planes is to allow the water or other washing fluid to emerge from the nozzle in the form of fan-shaped jets of considerable vertical width, and thereby to extend over a relatively large area as the nozzle is rotated.

In fact, the construction of the slots is such as to cause the jets of water to travel over the entire area of the dish-supporting tray 4 and dishes or other utensils therein, and at the same time to cause a glancing or diagonal impact of the jets against the dishes for more efiicient cleansing or rinsing purposes.

Operation When the valve of the faucet 11 is opened the water under pressure will be forced through the "conduit 10 and nipple 7 and thence into the nozzle and thence outwardly along the underside of the vane 21' and out through the corresponding slot 22.

In like manner the water impinging against the upper face of the vane 21' will travel downwardly across the underside of the vane 21 and thence outwardly through the slot or opening 22 as indicated by the arrows. Particularly in Figure 4.

The inner edges of the vanes 21 and 21' adjacent their planes of intersection are recessed to permit the passage of the spindle 14 therethrough or between them, but it will be observed that the spaces between the inner edges of the vanes and periphery of the spindle is relatively small or insufiicient to allow the passage of an appreciable quantity of water therethrough.

It is also apparent that a slight space is left between ends of the nipple '7 and tubular boss 16 of the nozzle, but any slight amount of water which may pass through those openings would not seriously interfere with the free rotation of the nozzle, nor the free passage of the water along through the nozzle from the inlet to the exits thereof, it being understood that the entire nozzle is located wholly within the receptacle where any slight leakage at the joints between the nozzle 15 and nipple 7, or between the vanes and spindle 14 would be unimportant.

After the tray 4 with the dishes therein have been placed in operative position within the vat 1, the cover 2 carrying the nozzle 15 and its supporting nipple 7 will also be placed in operative and partition carried thereby may be removed to permit the removal of the tray with the washed and rinsed dishes from the vat or the tray with the dishes therein may be allowed to remain in the vat until the moisture is drained therefrom.

While the spray nozzle is shown as used in connection with dish-washing machines, it is obvious that it may be used for many other purposes, such for example as lawn sprinklers, water purifiers and any other use to which it might be applied for distributing liquids in the form of fan-jets over a relatively wide area.

What I claim is:

1. A spray nozzle rotatable about an axis and provided with a fluid inlet at one end of said axis, and a pair of diametrically opposite outlets extending substantially spirally around said axis in the same direction from the other end of the nozzle toward the inlet, said nozzle having a pair of internal vanes, one for each outlet, and each extending substantially spirally around said axis along and adjacent one side of the corresponding outlet.

2. A rotary spray nozzle as in claim 1 in which the outlets are disposed at the outer end faces of their corresponding vanes.

3. A spray nozzle comprising a substantially spherical shell rotatably mounted on an axis passing through its center, an inlet opening coaxial with said axis, and diametrically opposite angularly disposed vanes in said shell with an outlet slot located beneath each vane whereby fluid passing over each vane will cause rotation of said shell and be discharged from the diametrically o-pposite outlet slot.

4. The combination with a tubular nipple having a co-axial stem, a substantially spherical shell rotatably mounted on said stem and provided with an inlet opening co-axial therewith, and a plurality of vanes in said shell extending angularly around said stem in spaced relation I11 thereto with an outlet slot located beneath each vane.

WILLARD R. WALKER. 

